


The Benefits of Meddling

by AciidHeart



Series: Reader Inserts [1]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Fluff, M/M, but his heart is in the right place, male reader - Freeform, ross is a nosy bastard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 17:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13253130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AciidHeart/pseuds/AciidHeart
Summary: Ross pesters you about your crush on one Dan Avidan.





	The Benefits of Meddling

“You've been trying to flirt with Dan.” It's not a question. You look up from your laptop to see Ross standing in front of you with his arms crossed over his chest. You frown and take out your headphones.

“Come again?”

“You, the person that I am standing in front of right now, have been trying to flirt with Dan.” His expression twists into a frown as he plops down onto the couch next to you and shuts your laptop. “And quite frankly, you've made shit progress so far.” 

“Fuck off, dude,” you groan. Ross is right, unfortunately, but that doesn't mean you want him reminding you of the fact. You'd been trying and failing to subtly woo Dan over the past month or so to no avail. You suppose that plain old compliments and cheesy pick-up lines weren't going to cut it from the start, in hindsight. In an environment where everyone is just a little  _ too _ friendly with each other by default, of course it wouldn't look out of place for you to participate in the antics. There had been more than a few occasions during recording sessions where you and Arin had begun swapping lewder and lewder pick-up lines, all of which had thrown Dan into a laughing fit that made your heart flutter and ruined your ability to speak for the rest of the episode. You set your laptop aside and turn to face Ross fully. “Why do you care, anyway?”

“Hey, not trying to push it or anything,” he says with a shrug, “It's just something I've noticed.”

“And you decided to bring it up to me because…?”

"Because  _ maybe _ I wanted to help you out?” You raise your eyebrows in surprise. 

“Really now? I would've thought that it would be fun for you to see me running around like a headless chicken,” you point out. 

“It was fun for awhile, but now it's just kinda sad. So I'm gonna make sure you take Dan on a nice romantic date and that you stop moping around like a hot gay mess,” Ross grins. You put a hand on your chest with a faux shocked expression.

“You… you think I'm hot?” Ross groans and hits you with a nearby pillow as you laugh.

“Scratch that, you're just a mess. Okay, let's get a game plan going,” he says. “Technically you've been more direct than most people would be, but Dan can be dense as a brick when people flirt with him. You need to step up your game.” You heave a sigh and unplug your headphones so you can freely fiddle with the cord. 

“I dunno, Ross. Is he even into dudes?” At this, Ross pauses to frown in thought. 

“Now that you mention it, I'm not sure. I don't think so?” You throw your hands up in agitation with a scowl.

“Then why are we even bothering with this, man? I'm not following your logic here.” Ross begins grinning all of a sudden, jumping up from the couch with a flourish. 

“You know what? Nevermind. I didn't mean to push, so I'll just back off if it makes you feel better,” he says. You blink owlishly at him for a moment. Huh. Wasn't expecting that.

“I, uh… yeah. Good talk, I guess.” Ross gives a thumbs up.

“Good talk!” 

You feel a vague sense of dread as you watch him practically skip away.

\--/--/--

“Hey, (Y/N)! Just the guy I wanted to see!” You still your hand before your pencil touches the page of your sketchbook with a start. Ross is standing over you again, wearing that same unsettling grin and bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“You're looking awfully suspicious right now,” you say slowly. 

“Oh, come on! You have no faith in me.”

“I have faith in you, just sometimes more than others. What's up?” Ross is still grinning.

“You busy right now?” You glance down at your empty sketchbook, an indicator of your current lack of motivation to actually draw something, and sigh.

“I guess not.”

“Great! D’ya want to play some games with me, Dan, and Holly?” Ross asks. You twirl the pencil between your fingers and shrug.

“What’re you guys playing?”

“I have no idea. Holly picked it out, but she won't tell us what it is.” He gestures to the recording room. “Says that it's a two versus two though.” You raise your eyebrows at this. 

“Sure, I'll try it out. What were you guys thinking for teams?” You ask as you rise from your seat. Ross doesn't answer right away, instead choosing to make a beeline for the recording room and throw the door open. You step inside after him and see that Dan and Holly are already lounging on the couch together, chatting quietly about something. They look up and smile as you and Ross come in.

“Okay, I got Dan’s partner. What are we playing?” Both yours and Dan’s eyebrows raise as Ross firmly plants himself against Holly’s side, his grin just as strong as ever. You already don't like where this is going, but both you and Dan decide not to contest the teams.

“Here, let me start it up really quick. You ready, guys?” Holly offers you a warm smile as she begins passing out controllers to everyone. You find yourself quickly becoming nervous over the prospect of being in such close proximity with Dan in such a small group. He's already curled up onto the couch with a blanket draped over his shoulders and his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. You have to take a moment to keep your composure over seeing how comfortable and  _ cute  _ he looks right now. He sticks an arm out from underneath his blanket and pats the spot on the couch beside him. 

“Come on, (Y/N)! Got a nice and cozy spot right here just for you.” His smile is just as soft and warm as he is, and your face heats up as you make your way over and take a seat next to him. You make sure to stay at a respectable distance. Once everyone is settled and has their controllers, Holly starts up the game and begins to explain it as the opening credits fade in. You nod along and inspect the buttons on the controller as each function is explained, then turn to Dan with a determined smile.

“Okay, I'm not  _ super _ great at shooters, but I think we've got this. We’ve got each other’s backs, yeah?” You ask. Dan nudges your shoulder and settles closer to your side with a quiet cheer.

“Yeah, totally! Just a fair warning, though, it'll take a minute for me to even figure out how to walk,” he laughs. Ross gives you that same goddamn smile that's starting to annoy you for some reason as his character breaks away from Holly’s to begin hunting you down.

“I bet you and Dan are gonna be great together,” he says. Something feels like it’s nagging at the back of your head at that statement, but you can't quite place what it could be.

The next hour or so is spent chasing each other down in various maps with different weapons and power-ups to try and get the most kills. It's a familiar type of play style, something easy to pick up and have mindless fun with. Dan and Holly aren't half bad, but you and Ross have gotten into it with each other by targeting each other’s teammates with reckless abandon. The tense and competitive atmosphere has led Dan to migrate further and further into your side, and at this point he’s practically in your lap. He’s almost constantly giggling and yelping in surprise every time he gets killed, and your focus has begun to wane.

“Aah! (Y/N), help! Holly’s chasing me!” You adjust to your “serious gaming" position by moving to sit closer to the edge of the couch and lean forward, frowning in concentration. You spot Dan’s character attempting to frantically jump and run around in circles as Holly chases him, laughing all the while. 

“Hang on a second, I got you,” you chuckle. Dan notices that you’ve moved from your original position on the couch and takes a moment to adjust accordingly. While you attempt to shoot Holly down, Dan wiggles around until he's pressed against your side again. He gets killed by Ross twice before deciding to stretch out on the couch completely with an exaggerated groan. His feet land in Ross’s lap, and his head falls to rest in yours. 

“I'm all stressed out now,” Dan says. “I'm gonna find some inner peace, and then we're gonna kick your guy’s asses.” He looks up at you as he waits to respawn with a smile, and you have to fight to keep your face from heating up in embarrassment.

“You comfy there, dude?” You ask, and Dan hums an affirmative.

“Very much so. You’re pretty cozy, you know that? I could probably take a nap right now,” He grins. Your heart is thudding in your chest. Sure, Dan tends to be a bit more on the affectionate side sometimes, but you haven’t really been close to him like this before. It feels so… domestic. It takes a little too long to realize that you’ve been killed at least four times in a row with little difficulty by Ross, and you rub your eyes with a yawn.

“Oh man, I think my eyes are gonna fall out of my skull. You guys mind if I dip out?” You say.

“Honestly, I think we’re all a little tired. Ross and I are going to get some lunch. Do you guys wanna join us?” Holly asks. Dan grumbles something unintelligible as he turns onto his side and burrows himself further into his blanket. You shake your head.

“Nah, I’m fine.”

“Me too,” Dan chimes in. “Think I’m gonna stay here with (Y/N).” Ross turns a particularly energetic grin to you before opening the door for Holly.

“Alright, suit yourselves! Want me to turn out the lights?” he asks.

“Yes please,” comes Dan’s sleepy voice from your lap. “I dunno about you, (Y/N), but I'm taking a nap.” The logical part of your brain tries to come up with a reasonable excuse to let Dan rest on his own and for you to be literally anywhere else, but for some reason you can't think of anything. By the time Ross and Holly have turned off the lights and left the room, Dan had gotten up and lay back down on the other side of the couch, holding his arms open after tossing his glasses to the floor. You turn to look at him with a bewildered expression.

“Are we cuddling or not, dude?” he asks. “It's cold as dicks in here, and this blanket isn't gonna cut it for me.” You're grateful for the fact that the lights are off, otherwise your blush would be  _ much  _ more apparent. 

“I, uh… are you sure?” you ask hesitantly. 

“Yeah, of course I’m sure! Get over here already.” You take a moment to steel yourself before moving to lie down next to Dan on the couch and hesitantly wrap your arms around him. Dan has himself half draped over you in a matter of seconds, tucking his head onto your shoulder and letting out a happy hum.  _ This can't be happening,  _ you think to yourself _. There's no way. _

“I was right. You’re just as cozy as you look,” he mumbles. You can feel your heart thudding in your chest as you rest your hands on the small of his back.

“T-thanks. Now shush. No rest is gonna be had if you keep talking.”

“Fine, fine,” Dan laughs. His laughter winds down into a contented sigh as he shifts once more to curl further into you. “G’night, (Y/N).”

“It's like 11, dude.”

“I know what I said.”

You don't know how long you lay there after Dan falls asleep, just reveling in the steadiness of his breathing and the warmth he exudes.

\--/--/--

The next couple of weeks are filled with instances of Ross becoming more and more suspicious and of you being unable to keep yourself from constantly thinking about Dan. Napping with him in your arms had been… nice. You'd had to do your best to act normally once you both had woken up, but he seemed just as chipper as ever, as if sleeping in the arms of a friend that just so happened to be another dude was something he did everyday. You're not quite sure how he feels about that day still, and you haven't thought to ask.

After the gaming session that day, Ross had begun inviting you to more and more outings that somehow always ended up with you spending alone time with Dan. First it was a movie that he had been planning on seeing with Dan; something else had come up last minute, though, so he gave you his ticket instead and even offered to give you money for snacks and popcorn. 

“Okay, we have to get the large popcorn,” You'd declared. Dan had raised an eyebrow at you with a confused laugh.

“Why?”

“Because, Dan! We need to get that spicy free refill with extra butter. It's just tradition.” You don't know how Ross managed to wrangle Dan into seeing a horror movie with him, but it became apparent that Dan didn't know either by the time his hand was tightly laced in your own and he was leaning into your side for support. You’d spent most of the evening afterward cleaning your apartment with the radio on full blast to try and drown out your thoughts.

After the movie fiasco came another instance where you, Ross, and Dan were slated to record some episodes together. Arin had ended up calling Ross to work on another project last minute, which left you and Dan to record the episodes by yourselves. You don't think you've laughed that hard in your life, and it was an absolute delight to make Dan laugh just as much in turn. There had also been an  _ insane _ amount of flirting that you hadn’t expected, and you’re not sure whether or not any of it was actually genuine. You know  _ you _ were being serious, but ending the session left a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach and the urge to do something  _ more _ . It had been somewhat depressing to realize that what was originally a small and frivolous crush on Dan had turned into something much more intense and consuming. You most certainly knew how to feel about that discovery.

\--/--/--

You’re almost finished getting ready to go home for the night when Ross decides to corner you.

“(Y/N)! Glad I caught you before you left!” he chirps. He looks just as chipper as usual, with that same glint in his eyes that almost makes you want to punch him now.

“What’s up, man?” You ask as you pull your jacket on. 

“I was just wondering how things with Dan were going.” You almost get your arm stuck in a sleeve as you try to hurry and put your jacket on faster. 

“Things are fine,” you respond curtly. “We’ve been hanging out more lately because of you, but that’s about it.” You grab your keys from your desk and pat your pockets to make sure you’re not forgetting anything. Ross frowns.

“What do you mean, that’s it? You guys were flirting a  _ ton  _ in the episodes you recorded last week!”

“That doesn't even matter! It was all for shits and giggles to him, and I  _ still _ don’t even fucking know if he’s into dudes!” You snap. “So unless you can bring me something that tells me otherwise, then I'm just gonna sit here with my useless fucking mess of a gay crush and be done with it.” Without waiting to hear a response from Ross, you push past him and out of the office to go home. 

You can't sleep that night.

\--/--/--

“Hey, (Y/N)! How’s it going?” You resist the urge to let out a loud groan as Dan approaches your desk with a wave. You’re tired beyond belief after not being able to get any sleep from the night before, and you don't have the energy to deal with anyone right now. 

“I'm… alright, I guess,” You reply. “What about you?” 

“Same, actually.” He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a loud sigh. You sit up straighter in your chair at his tone. It seems less energetic than usual, and you notice now that he's wearing his glasses and sporting dark circles under his eyes. You frown.

“What’s up? Is everything okay?” You ask.

“Yeah, don't worry about it. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately,” he says. You take a glance at the tea on your desk, the only true anchor keeping you tied to the world of consciousness at the moment, and set your work down. 

“Are you sure? You don't look too great,” you point out. Dan shrugs, reaching up to tug at the ends of the scarf that's tied loosely around his neck.

“Guess I've had a lot on my mind lately,” he eventually replies.

“Hey, let me know if you want to talk about anything, okay? Don't go and lone wolf it if you're feeling depressed,” you say. “It never feels good to be stewing in your own feelings like that.” 

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Dan offers you a smile before turning to continue his walk to the recording room. Was… was it just you, or did that smile look almost _ pained _ ? 

You can't focus too much on your work for awhile, even after taking a break and getting something to eat.

\--/--/--

“(Y/N), I need to talk to you.” You look up from your laptop to see Dan standing in front of you with his arms crossed over his chest. You frown and take out your headphones.

“What’s up?” He shuffles awkwardly and seems to be making eye contact with everything except you. 

“I, uh…” Dan looks around for a moment and seems to just now notice the open space both of you are in. “Can we go somewhere more private?” You nod and close your laptop. He beckons you to follow as he begins making his way to a closed off meeting area. You take seats next to each other on one of the couches, and you wait for Dan to start talking. He looks nervous about something.

“So, I… I talked with Ross recently,” he begins, and you feel your stomach drop.  _ This can't be about…?  _ He heaves a deep sigh, as if to steel himself for whatever it is that he's about to say next.

“He told me that he's been… that he's been trying to set us up together,” Dan rushes out. “Romantically.”

“Romantically.” It's not a question.

“Yeah. And, um… he said that you knew about it? Which I'm honestly kind of hoping for because I was thinking about asking you out anyway?” Dan’s rambling at this point, but you stop short as you fully process what he's saying and feel your heart jump into your throat.

“Dan, I-"

“God, I know it must be weird and gross- you're probably not even- wait, you  _ are _ .” His eyes widen. “Oh my god, I’m so fucking sorry! I forgot that you were gay!” 

“Are you being serious right now?” You blurt out. “I’ve been sitting over here with this… this ridiculous high school crush this whole time! I was just keeping it to myself because I thought you weren't into dudes!” You feel like you're in some kind of weird dream. Dan looks just as bewildered as you feel right now.

“I didn't think I was either!” he exclaims. “All I know is that we started hanging out more, and it was really nice, and- and then I guess you started looking more attractive to me?” Dan looks into the palms of his hands with a frown. “I realized that I was having feelings I haven't had before, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to ruin our friendship.”

“It would take a  _ lot  _ for you to ruin our friendship, dude.” You offer Dan a warm smile. “So, uh… now that it's been established we're two dudes that happen to have some gay romantic feelings for each other, do you want to have dinner sometime?” Dan laughs.

“You know what? That sounds amazing.”  **  
**

You make a mental note to thank Ross later.

**Author's Note:**

> You can check out my tumblr at aciid--heart and my art blog at jaymakes! I'm open for drabble requests!


End file.
